Check Your Ego at the Door. You can pick it up when you’re turning profits.
Starting your own company is harder than anything you’ve ever done. Anything. Twenty page business plans, fancy office space and check lists of essential qualities aren’t going to save you from hard work. Getting your startup off the ground and surviving year one is the most important battle you will face.
5 Tips for making it to year two
1. Have a clear understanding of your why. Profit margins and marketing plans will be ever changing. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a clear understanding of why you are starting your business in the first place. What is the change you want to create? Based on what beliefs? Know what you stand for and what you’re willing to fight for. That’s how you’ll build your brand and a hardcore customer base. WATCH Simon Sinek’s rockstar TED Talk:
2. Grind your face off. Office hours, days off, and vacations don’t exist. Make it a point to return any emails or calls within an hour. Work around client’s schedules, not your-own. If someone is on the fence and they can’t meet for a few days, tell them you will drive to their house or hire a babysitter for their kids. The more time they have to debate, the less chance you have in winning the deal. I have grad students [a large part of my customer base] take the metro to our local stop, and I go pick them up. If it doesn’t compromise your brand’s values you should be doing it.
3. Best is a luxury entrepreneurs can’t afford. Learn to live with good enough. The clock is always ticking and your ability to make quick (not rash) decisions will play a vital role in how fast your company grows. The font on your website and whether you should use Tweetdeck or Hootsuite (go with Hootsuite) should be made in a matter of minutes. Make a decision, move on, adjust as necessary.
4. Are you picking up, what I’m putting down. Sell, sell, sell, then sell some more. I know, entrepreneurs (myself included), aren’t in it just for the money; it’s about creating a greater change. You’re not going to be changing a damn thing if people aren’t using your service or buying your product. And I’ve never heard of any VC dumping money into a startup without seeing a PROVEN sales track.
5. Avoid the hype. This is the fastest way to kill your startup. You’ve gained a little steam, started reading all kinds of high-level articles about other startups and their successes, and then it happens: you come crashing into a brick wall. You started believing a little momentum and a few sales will have you landing on Inc.’s 30 under 30 and the 500 list.
It’s important for you to read as much as you can and understand who the big players in your industry are, but as soon as you catch yourself reading success story after success story run the other way! It’s not the Inc. 30,000 under 30 for a reason. Not everyone will make it, and you can’t run a company on dreams alone. Stop reading, start doing.
Survive year one, fight for every inch, that’s how you create change.
Are you willing to fight for every inch?
P.O. Box 41644 Bakersfield, CA, 93384 USA
daniel@outsource-hr.com • 818-478-5445
Tags: how to make it to year two, startup, startup survival, turning profits
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